What just happened? For years we’ve mocked the Golden Globes as a joke, a drunken farce that leads into the last few weeks of Awards Season before the Oscars. The show is basically one last hootenanny, like New Years Eve for celebrities, before the Important Awards sweep in to codify all that is good and worthwhile from the previous calendar year. (Note: no awards actually codify anything.)

But something happened in 2015. The Golden Globes, especially when it came to awards for TV, did not appear to be decided entirely by self-congratulatory voters more interested in getting loaded with celebrities than in the actual films and shows. The film winners were almost entirely independents, and the TV winners were diverse both in who they represent, and the ways in which those stories are getting to audiences. A big win for Amazon’s Transparent isn’t just unexpected; it is a great step forward.

Now, instead of bringing attention to stuff like The Tourist, the Golden Globes suddenly look almost progressive. The problem is that some of the 2015 awards winners are still things audiences haven’t seen, for a variety of reasons. So here’s a guide to some of the lesser-known achievements the Globes highlighted this year. Read More »

Even as I scramble to get in a few more 2014 releases before I close the book on this year, I’m looking forward to 2015. Next year promises to be huge for Hollywood, packed as it is with big-name sequels like Star Wars 7 and Avengers 2. But it also looks like a good time for movie lovers, not just movie studios. A lot of those tentpoles look genuinely good. And a lot of riskier ventures look like they’ll pay off. And that’s not even getting into all of the indie gems buried ahead, waiting for us to discover them at Sundance or Toronto or what have you.

Films from the last category were naturally left off my list, as I can’t get excited for a movie I haven’t heard of yet or know nothing about. But for a list of the films (big and small) that I do know about, and am eagerly looking forward to, join me after the jump. Read More »

With just three weeks to go until the end of the year, we’ve still got several noteworthy pictures to look forward to. Among them is Still Alice, an indie drama that emerged as one of the brightest gems from this year’s TIFF crop.

Julianne Moore leads as Alice Howland, a professor and married mother of three who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Alec Baldwin plays her husband, and Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish play her children. Hit the jump to watch the new Still Alice trailer. Read More »